Greed Over Game: Why I’m Done with the NBA

Basketball was my first love. Before I understood anything about the world, I understood the sound of a perfect swish, the feel of a leather ball rolling off my fingertips, the rhythm of a game played the right way. I’m from Indiana, where the game isn’t just something you follow—it’s something you inherit. The state moves to the bounce of a ball, and from the moment I first picked one up, I was hooked.

And for as long as I can remember, the Dallas Mavericks were my team.

I grew up watching Jason Kidd in his first stint with the franchise, the electric young point guard who seemed destined to lead Dallas into the future. I watched Steve Nash and Michael Finley form one of the most exciting backcourts in the league. I watched Dirk Nowitzki arrive from Germany as a lanky, unproven project and turn into my favorite player of all time. I watched Dallas build a legitimate contender, adding the right pieces at the right time—whether it was acquiring Tyson Chandler to anchor the defense, or finding veterans like Jason Terry and Peja Stojaković to make big shots when it mattered most.

And I also watched them suffer.

I watched Dirk and the Mavericks take a 2-0 lead in the 2006 NBA Finals, only to see it ripped away by Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade, and a Miami Heat team that lived at the free-throw line. I watched Dallas, as the No. 1 seed, become the first team in NBA history to lose to a No. 8 seed when the “We Believe” Warriors shocked the world in 2007.

But none of that pain mattered in 2011.

When Dirk, Kidd (in his second stint), and a collection of veterans and overlooked players finally climbed the mountain, when the Mavericks beat LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh’s Heat to claim the championship, everything was worth it. The heartbreak, the frustrations, the years of hearing that Dallas could never win it all—of hearing people call Dirk “soft” and say he didn’t have what it took to be a true champion—it all disappeared the moment Dirk lifted that trophy.

That’s what being a fan is all about.

Through the ups and downs, you believe. You believe in the players, in the team, in the idea that this league—this game—is still something worth investing in.

But I don’t believe anymore.

Because Adam Silver let something happen that goes against everything this league should stand for.

Luka Donic, the kind of once-in-a-generation talent that fans dream about for decades, is gone. And if you think this was just a trade, you’re not paying attention.

The Mavericks’ new owners aren’t basketball guys. They’re business guys. And worse than that, they’re casino guys. They didn’t buy the team to build a dynasty. They bought it because they want casinos, and Texas won’t let them have their way. So now they’re playing a different game.

While this is a theory and not something I can prove, it seems to make a lot of sense in light of the current situation. The threat of moving the Mavericks to Las Vegas isn’t just about relocation—it feels like leverage. The idea is that they may be using the team as a bargaining chip to push Texas into legalizing gambling. The logic appears to be this: kill interest in the team, put Dallas basketball on life support, and then let politicians and business leaders feel the pressure to act.

Whether this is true or not, I can’t say for certain. But it sure looks like it’s part of the game. And that makes this all the more frustrating.

It’s blackmail, pure and simple.

And Adam Silver is standing by, letting it happen.

The NBA isn’t even pretending to care about fairness anymore. This is the same league that vetoed the Chris Paul trade to the Lakers in 2011 for “basketball reasons,” yet it now allows a move that transparently benefits its biggest market while giving a billionaire ownership group a tool to manipulate state law.

Because let’s be clear: this isn’t just about Luka. This is about the NBA openly allowing owners to use teams like poker chips in a high-stakes game of greed.

And gambling? That’s the real sickness.

I enjoy sports gambling. I’ve placed my bets, and I understand why people love the rush of it. But let’s not pretend it’s a good thing. Gambling is an addiction, a destructive one, and the NBA has embraced it like a golden ticket.

Once upon a time, leagues kept their distance from it. They understood the dangers of letting money influence competition. Now? It’s everywhere. Sportsbooks sponsor arenas. Betting odds crawl across the bottom of the screen. Every highlight show reminds you of spreads and over/unders.

And when you mix gambling with ownership corruption, this is the result—franchises being used as leverage, league decisions being dictated by who stands to profit, and fans being left in the cold.

This isn’t just about the Mavericks losing their best player. It’s about a league that has lost its soul. It’s about a league that no longer cares about the fans who invest their time, their emotions, and their loyalty into these teams.

I’ve stuck with the NBA through a lot—load management, soft officiating, superteams. But this? This is different.

For the first time in my life, I don’t recognize the game I fell in love with.

The NBA was once a league that lived for the drama of the game—the rivalries, the underdog stories, the joy of seeing a franchise rise from the ashes. Now, it’s a league run by corporate interests and driven by the dollar signs in front of their eyes. The league that once celebrated loyalty and competition has become just another business where the fans are nothing more than consumers, the game nothing more than a product.

I never thought the day would come when I’d turn my back on the NBA. But with Adam Silver standing by and letting the Mavericks’ future be sacrificed for the almighty dollar, that day has arrived. This wasn’t just a trade; it was a warning to every fan out there. The NBA we loved is gone.